I've been using coconut oil on my hair lately.  I find that if I don't clarify, my hair gets crunchy and brittle, sort of like with cones.  It makes sense, since oil would keep moisture out.  So, I was wondering, is there was really much difference between using oils and cones? :-?  

hmm well... I think cones keep the moisture out by creating a barrier, while oil is actually an intense moisturizer.
But if you don't clarify either then you will end up with built up residue a.k.a the dreaded build-up!  :)

*nods* Every time I use oil on the ends of my hair, it ends up dry, brittle and nasty the next day. So I totally get what you mean, LD. The truth is that very few oils can actually penetrate the hair shaft. Most of them just coat the outside to seal moisture in, just as cones do.

As far as the difference, it's a matter of what your hair works better with. Some people have better luck with oils, and some with cones. And sometimes it depends entirely upon the situation. My best suggestion is to try both and see which one your hair responds better to.

My hair can't handle most oils - the molecules are too large to saturate into the hair. Jojoba oil is one that does work for me.  You might try it if the coconut oil is not working.

Does olive oil saturate well?

Oilve oil seems to work well on hair that has thicker strands or is more coarse.  It does not work well on my fine, thin hair.

hmm I think I'm going to have to reconsider some of my oils.. right now I use EVOO, avocado oil, Sesame seed oil & occasionally jojoba.. do these sound okay?

If they are working for you, then they are fine.  I don't know much about the avocado or sesame seed oil, do you use them alone or in combination?

Sometimes alone, but sometimes in combination. For the most part, I am usually happy with the results.

Thanks for all of the responses.  

When I began my hair journey, I tried just about evey oil and none of them really worked too well for me.  Most were all great at first, but then after awhile I get crunchy hair.  I just thought that I'd try it again since my hair is in better condition now than it was then, and I thought that perhaps I'd get different results.  

I do like the feel and mostly the shine that I get from it though.  If I did continue to use it, even if only once in awhile, I'll have to make sure to clarify soon after.

If your hair gets crunchy, maybe you should just try to use oil as a treatment instead of as a leave-in.  Some people put oil in their hair each night (I do this usually) and it works pretty well.  But if it gets crunchy, but you still want to use oils, you could put some in about an hour before you are going to wash your hair, and then most of it should come out when you wash.  That way it can moisturize without building up.  

Perhaps I may try a hot oil treatment.  Although, it's been so long since I've done one that I don't remember the effect that it has on my hair.

I know I recently posted a thing about oiling your hair to keep it looking very black if that's how your hair appears and you'd like to keep it but I didn't take texture into consideration.  I'm back on cones. Shampoo, condition, deep condition twice a week, leave-in nearly daily sometime after midday or by the afternoon.
I envy anyone who can stick to a simpler weekly routine.

Just remembered I have ½ bottle of coconut oil left which I probably will use as a deep conditioner but I don't think I can use any kind of oil as a leave-in.  Maybe I'll give the twice a month deep conditioning with olive oil another go.

Quote:

I just thought that I'd try it again since my hair is in better condition now than it was then, and I thought that perhaps I'd get different results.

Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results each time? ;)

Personally, I use both for the moment, but my hair is not chemically treated in any way.